With the Premier League’s return now fast approaching on the horizon, many are expecting another thrilling title chase during the 2023/24 campaign.
Watching complete another domestic romp last season as they eventually managed to pinch Arsenal at the final hurdle, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United are also looking to spring their own upset.
With just over a fortnight until England’s elite mark their return to top-flight action, we have taken a look at who has been installed as the pre-season title contenders with the bookmakers.
Manchester City
Mounting a stunning charge when returning from the World Cup’s winter break as they eventually claimed a fifth Premier League crown from the past six seasons, certainly made real history last month.
Competition: Euro 2016
Market: France to win against Switzerland
Odds:
France host Switzerland at the Grand Stade Lille Métropole for their final Euro 2016 Group A game tonight, and are favourites to pick up all three points to have sealed their place into the knockouts with a 100% record.
Les Blues are currently top of Group A with six points from their first two games. They have beaten Romania and Albania, scoring four goals in total and conceding just one. France are two points clear of tonight’s opponents, but still need to avoid defeat to ensure they don’t relinquish their spot at the summit.
As for Switzerland, La Nati are second in Group A with four points from two games, and have conceded just one goal for their troubles too. Switzerland…
Market: Bayer Leverkusen win
Odds: 1/2 @
Looking to extend on their remarkable Bundesliga purple patch, Bayer Leverkusen will make the trip to Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Werder Bremen might have opened up the 2023/24 campaign with their sights set on trying to mount a genuine top-half charge, the River Islanders have continued to struggle with their consistency. Last seen suffering a major collapse on home soil as they eventually entered November’s international break with a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, Ole Werner’s side have recorded just a single win from their previous six Bundesliga appearances. With that extended rut stemming all the way back to a 2-1 victory against Koln on September 23rd, Bremen should…
Brazil great Ronaldinho will officially retire from football this year, with plans already underway for a farewell schedule of games.
The ex-Barcelona favourite and 2002 World Cup winner said last month he expected to say goodbye to his playing days in 2018, having last appeared competitively for Fluminense in 2015.
In an interview with Globo, Ronaldinho s brother and agent Roberto Assis confirmed this would indeed be the case, with a world tour in the works.
He s quit football, it s over, Assis said. Let s now do something nice [his farewell], big as it should [be], after the 2018 World Cup, maybe in August.
We ll do some events now around Brazil, Europe and Asia. Of course, we re also arranging something with the Brazil national team as well.
…
After Germany s 5-1 win over Scotland in the Euro 2024 opener, the goals continued to fly in on a busy day of action on Saturday.
Records were broken as Spain beat Croatia 3-0 and reigning champions Italy came from behind to beat Albania 2-1.
Switzerland also dispatched Hungary 3-1 in the other Group A meeting to ensure things are finely poised going into the second round of matches.
The 16 goals scored through the opening four matches of Euro 2024 so far are the most netted at this point of a European Championships or World Cup since Euro 76 (19).
Using Opta data, we take a look at some of the other standout statistics from Saturday s action in Germany.
Hungary 1-3 Switzerland: Swiss start in style
Switzerland have only lost one of their …
Diego Llorente has become the second Spain player to test positive for COVID-19, less than one week out from their Euro 2020 opener.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed the news on Tuesday following the latest PCR tests within the squad.
Spain s Euros preparations were thrown into chaos when captain Sergio Busquets returned a positive coronavirus test on Sunday, forcing the entire team into isolation and Tuesday s friendly with Lithuania to be hastily re-arranged.
Leeds United defender Llorente has since left Las Rozas in a medicalised vehicle, following all health protocols, while the national team will continue with personalised training.
The remainder of the senior squad in isolation all returned negative tests but will continue to f…
Wilfried Nancy insists that Columbus Crew’s Campeones Cup final defeat in midweek will not deter his side from achieving their goals in the MLS playoffs this season.
The Crew were edged out on penalties by Mexican side Club America after Malte Amundsen’s opener was cancelled out by Victor Davila before losing 5-4 in the shootout.
But attention now turns to league action with a trip to Audi Field to face D.C. United, and head coach Nancy believes the defeat in that showpiece match will only spur on his players.
We lost the game. I told them when we won the MLS Cup, we learned from that. And we lost the Concacaf Champions Cup final in Pachuca. We also learned from that,” Nancy said.
“So, at the end of the day, the fact that we win, or we lose, we l…
Despite two good performances at Euro 2012, co-hosts Poland must win their final group game against the Czech Republic to advance from Group A.
Poland have drawn their opening two group matches of the European Championship and know that anything other than victory on Saturday against the Czechs will mean their time at the tournament is over.
Greece fought back for a 1-1 draw in Poland s first match of Euro 2012 and then showed plenty of determination to manage the same score against Russia on Tuesday.
But with the Czechs beating Greece 2-1 on Tuesday, Poland need to win to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Russia top Group A with four points, ahead of Czech Republic (three points), Poland (two) and Greece (one).
To achieve victory on Saturday, Pola…
Schalke midfielder Alessandro Schopf has signed a new contact that ties him to the Bundesliga club until 2021.
Schopf joined Schalke from Nuremberg midway through the 2015-16 season and has gone on to score 11 goals in 68 matches across all competitions.
The 24-year-old Austria international has returned to action this term after suffering a ruptured cruciate knee ligament in April and Schalke boss Domenico Tedesco was thrilled to retain his services for a longer spell.
Schopf is almost a complete player, he said. He is very diligent and runs many, many kilometres in each game.
He is versatile and always wants to play, no matter which position it is.
In addition, he is technically savvy, is brave and a great person. We re delighted to be a…
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso says his team have to know how to suffer and fight after their Champions League win over Milan.
Victor Boniface scored early in the second half at BayArena on Tuesday, and though Milan hit the woodwork as they searched for an equaliser, the Bundesliga champions held firm.
Leverkusen have now taken six points from their opening two Champions League matches.
After dominating the first half, in which they mustered six shots on target – only once ever having more on record (since 2003-04) when facing Real Sociedad in October 2013 (seven) – Leverkusen were less convincing following Boniface s goal.
But Alonso put that down to fatigue following Leverkusen s 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich on Saturday, in which his side were lar…